String tensioning device



April 9, 1940.

M. SOTTNEK 2,196,817

STRING TENSIONING DEVICE Filed Oct. 19, 1938 4 INVENTOR. Q M/c/me/ Jornvax ATTORNEY.

6 -6 of Fig. 4; and

Patented Apr. 9, 1940 UNITED-STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 M 2,196,817 3 p STRING TENSIONING' DEVICE Michael Sottnek, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application October 19, 1938, Serial No. 235,805

5 Claims.

This invention relates to violin stringtensioning devices. It is particularly directed toa violin tail-piece provided with means for adjusting the tension of the violin strings. p

A further object of this invention is to provide a tail-piece of the character described, having means for making very fine adjustment in the tension of steel or other violin strings.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a strong, rugged and durable violin tailpiece of the character described, which shall be easy to manipulate, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and yet practical and efficient to a high degree.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

i The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangementof parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the following claims.

, In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is aperspective View of a violin provided. with a tail-piece, embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an'enlarged, cross-sectional view taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

3 is a top plan view of the improved tailpiece;

Fig. 4is a bottom plan view thereof;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the bell crank levers;

Fig. 6 is across-sectional view taken on Fig. 7 is a. cross-sectional view taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 4.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, I designates a violin provided with a tail-piece II, embodying the invention, for tensioning the strings l2.

The tail-piece H may have the general shape of the well known violin tail-piece. The same comprises a shank I4, extending rearwardly, and an enlarged head I at the front end of the shank somewhat curved in transverse cross-section. At the rear end of the shank is a transverse wall I6, provided with a plurality of through openings IT, to receive a wire loop I8, adapted to be attached to a headed button or rivet IS on the rear wall of the violin sound box 2|.

The head portion l5 of the tail-piece is formed with four parallel, longitudinal slots 24. The

wire 32 is curved to follow the curvature of head each of the slots 24, is a bell crank lever 35.

line

tail-piece is furthermore formed with a Screw threaded through opening 25,, spaced rearwardly of and aligned with each of the slots 24. Screw threaded openings are radially disposed relative to the curvedhead I5. The underside of the tail-piece is recessed somewhat inwardly of the outer edges, forming a downwardly extending flange at the front. The longitudinal walls 21 on opposite sides of the slots 24 are formed with transverse, aligned, substantially semi-cylindrical grooves 28, on the underside of the tail-piece, for

the purpose hereinafter appearing.

The flange 30 of the head is formed with a pair of longitudinal through openings 3|, each disposed between a pair of adjacent slots 24 and at 15 right angles to grooves 28, and disposed just below said grooves. Within the grooves 28 is an elongated pin orwire32, traversing all of the slots 24, adjacent the forward ends of the latter. The

I5 and is held within the grooves 28 by a pair of longitudinal pins 34, force'fitted through and extending beyond the openings 3 I, and contacting the underside of said wire.

. Pivoted on the wire 32, and extending through Each bell crank lever has an arm 36, extending upwardly through the slot 24, and an arm 31, extending rearwardly beneath the tail-piece.

At the junction of the arms 36 and 31 is a trans- 30 verse horizontal through opening 38, through which the wire 32 passes. The arm 36 of each lever has a bifurcated, rearwardly, hooked portion 39 'to receive one end of the violin string I2.

As shown in the drawing, the violin string I2 35 has a ball I2a fixed to one end thereof and engaging beneath the hook 39. I The rear end of arm 31 is formed with a flat portionlm'disposed directly beneath one of the screw threaded openings 25. Screwed within each opening 25 is a screw 4|, having a knurled head 42, at its upper end. The lower end of the screw contacts the flattened portion 40 of arm 31. It will now be understood that the springs I2 may be tensioned by merely turning the screw 4|.

It will be noted that the levers3l are permanently mounted on the tail-piece and are not removable and cannot be removed except if the pins 34 are knocked out of the openings 3|. The screws 4| are located close to the player, so that the strings may be tensioned without taking the violin away from playing position.

The tail-piece I4 may be made of metal, hard rubber, or any other suitable material.

device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as, .various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is obvious that the invention is applicable to tail-pieces for violas, cellos and basses, as well as to violins.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A tail-piece for a violin having a head and a shank, said head being formed with a plurality of parallel longitudinal slots, and with screw threaded through openings, spaced rearwardly of said slots and substantially in alignment with said slots, a transverse pin fixed to said tail-piece traversing said slots, a bell crank within each slot ivoted to said pin and having an arm passing upwardly through said slot and formed with means to engage one end of a violin string, and another arm extending rearwardly beneath the tail-piece, and screws within said screw threaded openings having heads above said tail-piece, the lower ends of said screws being aligned with the other arms of said bell cranks, and disposed at right angles thereto, to engage said arms.

2. A tail-piece for a violin having a head and a shank, said head being formed with a plurality of parallel longitudinal slots of uniform width, rounded at the ends, and with screw threaded openings, spaced rearwardly of said slots and substantially in alignment with said slots, a pivoted bell crank within each slot having an arm passing upwardly through said slot, and another arm extending rearwardly beneath "1e tail-piece, and screws within said screw threaded openings having heads above said tailpiece, the lower ends of said screws being aligned with the other arms of said bell cranks, and disposed at right angles thereto, to engage said arms the first arm of each bell crank being hooked rearwardly and bifurcated to receive one end of a violin string.

3. A tail-piece for a violin formed with a plurality of longitudinal parallel slots, said tail-piece being also formed with screw threaded through openings, spaced rearwardly of said slots and substantially aligned with said slots, said tailpiece being formed on the underside thereof with aligned, transverse grooves disposed on opposite sides or" said slots, a transverse pin within said grooves traversing said slots, said tail-piece being formed with openings disposed at right angles to said grooves, pins within said openings extending beyond said openings and engaging said transverse pin to hold the latter within said grooves, a plurality of bell cranks pivoted to said transverse pin, there being one bell crank in each slot, and each having an arm extending upwardly through said slot, and a second arm extending rearwardly beneath the tail-piece, having a portion disposed beneath one of said screw threaded openings, and screws positioned within said screw threaded openings having heads above said tailpiece, and the lower ends of said screws being aligned with said second arms of said bell cranks to engage the same.

4. A tail-piece for a violin formed with a plurality of longitudinal parallel slots, said tail-piece being also formed with screw threaded through openings, spaced rearwardly of said slots and substantially aligned therewith, said tail-piece being formed on the underside thereof with aligned transverse grooves on opposite sides of said slots, a transverse pin within said grooves traversing said slots, said tail-piece being formed with openings disposed at right angles to said grooves, pins within said openings extending beyond said openings and engaging said transverse pin to hoid the latter within said grooves, a plurality of bell cranks pivoted to said transverse pin, there being one hell crank in each slot, and each having an arm extending upwardly through said slot, and a second arm extending rearwardly beneath the tail-piece, having a portion disposed beneath one of said screw threaded openings, and screws positioned within said screw threaded openings having heads above said tailpiece, and the lower ends of said screws being aligned with said second arms of said bell cranks to contact the same, the first arms of said bell cranks being hooked rearwardly and bifurcated to receive the ends of the violin strings.

5. A tail-piece for a violin having a head and a shank, said head being formed with a plurality of parallel longitudinal slots, and with screw threaded through openings spaced rearwardly of said slots and substantially aligned therewith, the underside of said tail-piece being formed with aligned grooves, a pivot pin in said grooves traversing said slots, means to fix said pin to said tailpiece, a bell crank within each slot pivoted to said pin and having an arm passing upwardly through said slot and formed with means to engage one end of a violin string, and another arm extending rearwardly beneath the tail-piece and screws within said screw threaded openings, having heads above said tail-piece, the lower ends of said screws being aligned with said other arms of said bell cranks to press thereagainst.

MICHAEL SO'I'INEK. 

